Otzma Yehudit Ends Gov't Boycott After IDF Strikes Gaza Targets

National Security Minister and leader of the far-right Otzma Yehudit Itamar Ben Gvir announced that his party is ending its boycott of Knesset votes as it deems overnight strikes in the Gaza Strip which killed several Islamic Jihad leaders an adequate reaction to the recent missile launches against Israel.

• Ben Gvir and his aides were critical of what they called a "feeble" response to the barrage of rockets fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip last week. Following a truce brokered by negotiators from Qatar and Egypt, Otzma Yehudit announced that they would stop voting with the government in the Knesset.
• Israeli armed forces launched Operation Shield and Arrow overnight, killing three top Islamic Jihad leaders and 10 other Palestinians including women and children. Israel is now preparing for retaliation and has advised those near Gaza border to stay near shelters.
• Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant will shortly hold a meeting with security officials and tomorrow morning Netanyahu will brief opposition leader Yair Lapid on the situation. Netanyahu may also call a meeting of the high-level Security Cabinet this evening.
• The decision to attack targets in Gaza was reportedly taken without consultations with the Cabinet, which was greenlighted by Israel's Attorney General. The Times of Israel suggests that Netanyahu was concerned about leaks and feared that "the influence of several far-right ministers could push Israel into a wider conflict."